A BAN on smoking around football pitches and outdoor play areas was introduced by a pioneering council today.

Derwentside District Council has issued a total ban on smoking inside all its premises and their surroundings, including car parks.

A spokesman for the County Durham authority said it was the first time in Britain that adults had been asked not to smoke around outdoor play areas.

Its hardline campaign, called Make Smoking History, could now be taken up elsewhere in the country.

The council has been awarded two Gold National Clean Air Awards for its policy.

The ban was introduced after consulting both public opinion and council workers.

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A survey found 93% of people wanted smoking banned in play areas, and 89% of employees were in favour of a total ban on council property.

Council leader Alex Watson said: "It has taken less than a year from the initial proposal to going totally smoke free.

"I hope this will encourage other councils to follow our example.

"Within Derwentside we do not believe simply banning smoking from indoor facilities is enough we hope to take this further by asking residents to respect the rights of others and refrain from smoking where others, and particularly children, gather."

Cllr John Pickersgill, of Smoke Free Derwentside, said the council had shown its commitment to children's health "by bravely leading the way in curtailing smoking in public places something this current government will not do."

The government is consulting about a smoking ban in all enclosed public places, except pubs and bars that don't serve food, in a bid to protect employees from the effects of passive smoking.

Earlier this month, the Royal College of Physicians claimed an outright ban in the workplace would save the country £4bn a year, mainly through increased productivity if smoke breaks became a thing of the past.